Runes and Masteries were once a cornerstone of League of Legends' pre-game customization, allowing players to tailor their champions' stats and abilities before entering the Rift. While this system has been replaced, understanding its historical impact provides context for the current Rune system and the evolution of game customization.
The Original Rune System
In the early days of League of Legends, players could purchase Runes using Influence Points (IP) earned through gameplay. These Runes were slotted into a Rune Page, which could be customized for each champion. There were three types of Runes:
- Marks (Red): Primarily provided offensive stats like Attack Damage, Ability Power, and Armor Penetration.
- Seals (Yellow): Primarily provided defensive stats like Armor, Health, and Mana Regeneration.
- Glyphs (Blue): Primarily provided defensive stats or utility like Magic Resist, Ability Power, and Cooldown Reduction.
- Quintessences (Purple): These were more powerful and could provide a wider range of stats, including Movement Speed, Gold per second, and larger bonuses to core stats.
Players had a limited number of Rune Pages and had to strategically choose which stats to prioritize for each champion, often leading to complex optimization.
Masteries: The Second Layer of Customization
Alongside Runes, Masteries offered another layer of pre-game customization. Masteries were organized into three trees:
- Offense Tree: Focused on increasing damage output, critical strike chance, and other offensive capabilities.
- Defense Tree: Focused on increasing survivability, resistances, and damage reduction.
- Utility Tree: Focused on improving gold generation, cooldown reduction, summoner spell effectiveness, and other supportive aspects.
Players had a pool of points to distribute across these trees, creating diverse builds that could emphasize different playstyles, such as a tanky top laner, an aggressive jungler, or a utility-focused support.
Impact on Gameplay
The Rune and Mastery system had a significant impact on the game:
- Early Game Advantage: Players who invested heavily in Runes could gain substantial stat advantages in the early game, influencing lane matchups.
- Strategic Depth: The ability to customize allowed for deep strategic planning and counter-play.
- Champion Diversity: Different Rune and Mastery setups could enable unique playstyles for the same champion.
- Barrier to Entry: The IP cost of Runes and the complexity of the system could be a barrier for new players.
The Transition to the Current Rune System
In 2017, Riot Games revamped the Rune and Mastery systems into the current, unified Rune system. This change aimed to:
- Simplify Customization: Make pre-game choices more accessible and impactful.
- Remove IP Cost: Make all Runes available to all players for free.
- Increase Impact: Ensure that Rune choices had a more significant and noticeable effect on gameplay.
While the old Rune and Mastery system is no longer in play, its legacy lies in the continued emphasis on pre-game customization and the strategic choices that shape a champion's performance from the moment the game begins.